Before it was dubbed rock 'n' roll by DJ Alan Freed, this urban music had been around
for years as "rhythm and blues". It was the 1954 film Blackboard Jungle, with Bill Haley and His Comets' "Rock Around the Clock" on its soundtrack, that
introduced this rocking sound to the entire nation. The dynamic
Georgia Gibbs followed with "Dance With Me, Henry!", which she kept insisting
was NOT rock 'n' roll (but it sure SOUNDED like it!). Gibb's
reluc- tance to be associated with R&R was shared by most veteran artists: Rock
'n' roll was just a passing fad, or so they hoped. Then came
Elvis.

In 1956, Elvis Presley made his network
TV debut on the Dorsey Brothers summer replacement series, and within weeks the
landscape of popular music was transformed: R&R finally had its first
super-star sex symbol. When the year began, every new record by Eddie
Fisher and Perry Como (then the most consistent record sellers) was a
guaranteed chart-topper. By summer, most youth-oriented radio stations
wouldn't even play their records --- or those of other main-stream artists.
Suddenly it was "adapt or die". Perry and Eddie had the
safety net of their popular TV series to cushion the fall --- in fact, Como went
on to even greater television success --- and his album sales were healthy.
But he wouldn't have another top-ten hit until 1973's "It's Impossible".

SURPRISE! SURPRISE! DALE ROCKS!

Who would have guessed that, of all the established pop
singers, it would
be Alan Dale, a supreme balladeer, who would have success
in rock 'n' roll. Among his fellow "crooners" there were several (I'll let you figure out who) that
couldn't even swing, let alone rock. Of the rest, only Sinatra had the necessary "edge", but he wanted no part
of R&R. As for Alan, he desperately needed to keep
the hit records coming
or he'd never stand a chance of breaking down the blackball barriers.

On further reflection, Alan's ability to adapt to rock 'n'
roll shouldn't have been such a surprise. After all, George Paxton's
Orchestra was basically jazz oriented, similar in style to bands like Woody
Herman's. Thus, although Alan was mostly assigned ballads, he was
surrounded by a very swinging musical environment.
In other words, his role can be compared to that of
Sinatra's with Tommy Dorsey.

Also helpful
in developing his versatility were the impersonations he did on "Sing it Again"
--- which ran the gamut from Mario Lanza to Billy Eckstine. This
sharpened his natural talent for mimicry and made it easy for him to pick up
on the different inflections (as well as the harder edge) required by R&R.
He adapted so quickly that his first venture into this "new"
music, "Rockin' the cha-cha", not only chalked up hefty sales, it also led
to his starring role in the film "Don't Knock the Rock", in which he played a R&R
super-star. During the next few years, most of Alan's
singles would feature at least one R&R side. At the same
time, those fans who still preferred the "old" Alan Dale sound could take comfort
in his night club appearances. AN INTERESTING SIDELIGHT:Thanks to "Don't Knock the Rock", Alan developed a sizable following in Europe
(where his early career was practically unknown) and he is considered a great
rock 'n' roll singer! His recordings from that film
became top-ten hits in Belgium, Italy and Germany. In light of this,
it's unfortunate that Alan was unable to cultivate the European market.
Other '50's singing stars (Johnny Ray, Guy Mitchell, etc.),
who found their careers languishing in the States, actually relocated to Great
Britian for a time and found considerable success. But again, Alan's
fragile health, not to mention family considerations, made such a move an impossiblilty.

THE MOVIE CAREER ALAN ALMOST HAD

Alan's 1950 collapse happened just as Paramount Pictures was "scouting"
him. By the time he'd recovered, they'd cooled off.

In 1953, Alan signed a contract with Universal Pictures for a series of Martin &
Lewis-style musical comedies (co-starring his friend Buddy Hackett) ---- only to
have the Studio permanently close down it's musical division a few days later.

In
1955, Alan was approached by the producers of a movie based on
the romantic life (and mysterious death) of '30's crooner Russ Columbo, but
the project never got off the ground.

This list is not complete and some dates are approximate. Additions will
be made when more information becomes available.

ALAN DALE, BAND SINGER - 1944 to 1946

Alan Dale began his recording career while vocalist with the George Paxton Orchestra.
Their primary label was Majestic, but the same recordings
were also issued on several other labels such as Hit and Guild. The numbers were the same, however.For example, Alan's first recording, "More and More", is to be found on both the
Hit and Majestic labels as #7120.

MAGESTIC (also HIT and GUILD)
1945
-
1946
Dale's
vocals
highlighted
V-Disc 523-B (Y release) /VP 1486 - XP 35089 You're So Worth the Waiting For / While You're Away
V-Disc 553-B (AA release) / VP 1581; VP 1570; D5TC 1395
One
side is Sam Donahue Orch. Paxton side is a medley,
the center part is Dale singing
"My Devotion".
7120 More and More / Accentuate the Positive
7121 Every Time We Say Goodbye / Only Another Boy and Girl
? Out of This World / This Can't Be Love
? Anytime / ?
7164 Oh, What It Seemed To Be / I'm Glad I Waited For You
7167 You Are Too Beautiful / Wave To Me My Lady
7183 All the Time / Love On A Greyhound Bus

ALAN
GOES SOLO
Alan's solo recording career began in 1947 under the direction ofBob Thiele on the Signature label. When Signature went bankrupt many of these
recordings were reissued on other labels that Thiele headed, including Hi Tone,
Advance, and Coral. An asterisk * indicates song is not a new recording but is a Signature reissue.

ROYALE
(subsidiary
of
Columbia Records
6022 Album 1950
THE IMMORTAL MELODIES OF JEROME KERN (Alan Dale,
Thelma Carpenter, The Three Suns,
etc.) Taking advantage of Dale's
popularity, they dug up some of Alan's
old George Paxton records for these albums.
This one features just one Dale/Paxton
number: "More and More."
6024 Album 1950 COLE PORTER'S GREATEST SONGS (Alan Dale, Betty
Brewer,
The Three Suns, Russell Bennett Orchestra and others)
This disc mistakenly lists Dale singing two songs, but in fact he is only
featured
on one: "Every Time We Say Goodbye". The vocalist on the
other
song ("I've Got You Under My Skin") is probably Dick Merrick, who
followed
Dale with the George Paxton Orchestra..

BLUE HEAVENBH1-107 Album:Alan Dale On Tour with D'Artega and the Cavalcade Orchestra
contains
eleven radio transcriptions
from 1950 (RECOMMENDED)

"How Deep Is The Ocean" "All the Things You Are" "Laura"
"The
Talk of the Town" "Darktown
Strutters' Ball" (solo)
"Try a Little Tenderness"
"The Thrill is Gone" "Stardust"
"Sleepytime Down
South" "Rain" "Stormy Weather"

ALBUMS
(Coral
Records)
1952
Alan Dale Sings
1956 He (all-star religious album) The Ten Commandments
1956 Songs by Alan Dale
1957 The Stars Visit Lawrence Welk (Alan sings two songs which were
also
released
on a single: Teresa and All I Have Is A Love Song)